Coupler



A.D.BOOTH July 28, 1931.

COUPLER Filed June 11. 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1' INVENTOR luff/J70; D. 300T.

A TTORNE rs Patented July 28, 1931 omrren PATIENT) o-Feren aueus'rusn. noo'rir, or conmm'nus; 01110, ASSIGNOR TOz-THE CHASE, noxmnnz AND MFG COMPANY, 01- COLUMBUS. *onro A. COBRORATION or 01110:

COUPLERY Application filed June 11,

This invention relates to improvements :in

couplers for use in connection with industrial" cars, trailer trucks and is welladapted for I general use wherean'automat'iccoupler is de- 5 sired.

It'is-particularly the object ofi'this invention to provide a coupler havingan upper-and a" lower jaw pivotedto the main coupler- These and" other objects and advantages will appear from the desoriptiontaken in connection withthe drawings. 2. v Referring' to the; drawingsr} Figure 1, is atop 'pIa-n'view" of the: coupler. Figure eQ/is a side elevation of the coupler.- Figure 3 is a-longitudinah section through a coupler: withthe upperj aw' elr'evat'ed.

Figure 4-isan end elevation with the-upper jaw elevated; e

Figure 5' is a longitudinal sectional view showing both jaws in elevated pos'ition.

Figure 6 is alongitudinal sectional view showing-the jawsinengagement with each other in their normal position. The main part of the coupler consists of a head having a base land two parallel side walls 2 constituting a housing supporting one of the ends of each of the coupler jaws. Between the two side walls and near the upper end of the base is a stop shoulder 3.

In each side wall is an upper bearing L and a lower bearing 5 to receive shafts that support the jaws. The upper jaw is indicated by the numeral 6 and has on one end a bearing 7. Through this hearing 7 and the upper bearings in the side walls a shaft 8 extends. This shaft is held in position .by any suitable to whereby one-of the pivotedjaw members j acts with the hook 10. V a

means. In the present instance cotter pins 1930-. serial No. 460383.

are used in holes iii-each end of the shaft. On the-end of the upper jaw adjacent the vbeari'ng-isa stop arm 9 adapted to engage the stop shoulder 3 when the upperjaw is. v

swung to its uppermost position.

At the front end f the upper jaw there is provided a hook 10which extends downwardly in-the direction of-the head. -This' hook provides means for engaging a. link, or some suitable means; onatruckor another can similar to the one to which-this coupler necting twocars or-one caratoa truck. To?

the rear of the hookisa stop l 'extendingidownwardly from the: upperr'jaw 6 atpsubstantially a right angle tothe-body ()fz the jaw. This stop a'serves to limit the backward movement of the coupling 'memberthatco-' Beneath the. upper aw is a 'lowerjaw13 having a bearing 14 at one'end. Extending through the bearing'fzl and the lower'bea'rings of the two side walls is a shaft 15 which supports the jaw pivotally between the side walls;. This shaft is held in placeby means of cotter pins,but other-suitablemeans may housed. Theouter: end of this jaw isdownwardly inclined at 16,-and-has a surface coacting with tliesurface '11 to T direct the coacting cou-pling'member' so that it may. pass between the twojj aws and engage behind-the 11001110. v I i I Forthe purpose ofiproviding aseat forthclower ends i offthev hook member: 10' and the stop 12fthe upper sidezof. the lower jaw, is provided *with' a recess: '17. The walls of'this recess serve also to; hold thecooperating cou pling-member inengagement with the hook 10 sotha-t it cannot become easily disengaged there fromi; For: the purpose .of ac commodatingamd; providing free space for the 1 cooperating? coupling member; the ends. of the side "walls-remote from. the base are provided with notches 19.x When'the cooperating coupling lnemben is .in 11ace-it-.iswvithin these notches and between the hook 10 and the stop 12. For the purpose of supporting the lower jaw 13 in its normal position there is provided between the two sides a stop 20, upon which this lower jaw rests when in normal position. WVhen the lower jaw is thus supported on the stop 20 it is substantially in line with the body of the truck to which the coupler is attached.

If the lower jaw should contact with any surface so that it would be necessary that this jaw be elevated the two jaws may be t vung upward to the position shown in Fig ure 5. In this instance both jaws move together. l'lowever, the upper jaw may move independent of the lower jaw. This would especially occur when the front car is going up an incline even though the lower jaw behind touch the inclined surface. However, if "he incline were su'lilcient-ly steep the frontpart of the lower jaw may contact with the inclined surface, in which event the lower jaw would be forced upward in the direction of the upper jaw.

By means of the coupler here shown two trucks or cars may be attached. to each other automatically by merely forcing the other coupling member into contact with the in clined surfaces 16 and 11 so that the other coupling member will raise the upper jaw and engage behind the hook 10. In order to release the coupler it is only necessary to raise the upper jaw, when the cooperating coupling member may be removed.

I desire to comprehend within my inven tion such modifications as may be clearly embraced within my claims and the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a coupler, a head member, a coupler jaw having a coupler hook thereon supported by the head for vertical movement, and a second, jaw supported by the head for vertical movement, said second jaw having a recess therein adapted to receive and partly support the coupler hook.

2. In a coupler, a head member, a coupler jaw having a. coupler hook and a stop thereon supported by the head for vertical movement, and a second jaw supported by the head for vertical movement, said second jaw having a recess therein adapted to receive and partly support the coupler hook and the stop.

3. In a coupler, a head member consisting of a base and side walls, and a pair of cooperating jaws pivoted to and supported by said side walls in a substantially horizontal position so that both jaws may be moved upward together from said position but only one can be moved independent of the other.

4. In a con iler, a head member consisting of a base and side walls, a pair of cooperating jaws pivoted to and supported by said side walls in a substantially horizontal position so that both jaws may be moved upward together from said position but only one can be moved independent of the other, and means to limit the movement of said jaws.

5. In a coupler, a head member consisting of a base and side walls, said base having a stop, a recessed jaw pivoted to and supported by said walls in one position and a second jaw pivoted to the side walls and having a hook and a stop, said last stop adapted to engage in the first stop, said second jaw being sup ported in one position by the hook resting on the first-named jaw in the recess thereof, said jaws having oppositely flared outer ends to receive a coupling member for engaging the hook.

6. In a coupler, a head having a pair of spaced paralled walls having an upper and a lower stop, a recessed jaw pivoted to said walls and supported in one position by, said lower stop and a second jaw pivoted to said walls and having a hook and a stop, said stop adapted to engage the upper stop and the hook adapted to engage the recessed arm in the recess thereof so that both arms may be moved up together but only one arm be so moved independent of the other, the outer end. of the recessed jaw and the hook forming an inclined surface leading obliquely toward the second aw and the upper stop limiting the upward. movement of one or both jaws.

7. In coupler, a head member consisting of a base and side walls, a recessed jaw pivoted to said side walls, means on the head memher to prevent the jaw swinging down, and a second jaw pivoted to said walls and having a hook thereon adapted to rest in the recessed jaw to support the second jaw.

8. In a coupler, a head member consisting of a base and side walls, a recessed jaw piv0ted to said walls, means on the head member to prevent said jaw swinging down, a second jaw pivoted to said walls and having a hook thereon adapted to rest in the recessed jaw to support the second jaw, and stop means on the head member and the second jaw to limit the upward swinging of the second jaw.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

AUGUSTUS D. BOOTH. 

